The Stevens fallout begins

From NBC's Ken StricklandThe political fallout over Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-AK) indictment started today on Capitol Hill. His Republican colleagues weren't exactly throwing him under the bus, but they didn't push him out of its way either as Stevens faces a tough reelection in November.

Sen. John Ensign, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, declined to endorse Stevens' campaign for reelection. The NRSC describes itself on it's Web site as "the only political committee solely dedicated to electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate."